Microsoft Confirms End Of XNA/DirectX Development

We all know that Microsoft is no longer actively developing XNA game development framework. Support for XNA in Windows Phone 7 platform was the last significant announcement and XNA support was removed in Windows Phone 8 platform. In an email sent to XNA/DirectX MVPs few days back, Microsoft has officially confirmed the end of further development of these technologies.

Here is the email,

Our goal is to provide you the best experience during your award year and when engaging with our product groups. The purpose of the communication is to share information regarding the retirement of XNA/DirectX as a Technical Expertise.

The XNA/DirectX expertise was created to recognize community leaders who focused on XNA Game Studio and/or DirectX development. Presently the XNA Game Studio is not in active development and DirectX is no longer evolving as a technology. Given the status within each technology, further value and engagement cannot be offered to the MVP community. As a result, effective April 1, 2014 XNA/DirectX will be fully retired from the MVP Award Program.

Because we continue to value the high level of technical contributions you continue to make to your technical community, we want to work with you to try to find a more alternate expertise area. You may remain in this award expertise until your award end date or request to change your expertise to the most appropriate alternative providing current contributions match to the desired expertise criteria. Please let me know what other products or technologies you feel your contributions align to and I will review those contributions for consideration in that new expertise area prior to the XNA/DirectX retirement date.

Please note: If an expertise change is made prior to your award end date, review for renewal of the MVP Award will be based on contributions in your new expertise.

Please contact me if you have any questions regarding this change.

However, Microsoft sent out an confusing statement to the press following the above mail that DirectX is under active development.

Microsoft is actively investing in DirectX as the unified graphics foundation for all of our platforms, including Windows, Xbox 360, and Windows Phone. DirectX is evolving and will continue to evolve. We have absolutely no intention of stopping innovation with DirectX.

Microsoft is soon going to reveal plans about its Xbox vNext with commercial release slated for end of this year. I guess they will also reveal the new game programming model that will succeed XNA/DirectX by that time. What do you think?